from those at the isle of Georgia.  It is remarkable, that we had not seen a seal since we left that coast.  At noon we were in latitude of 56 deg. 44’ S., longitude 25 deg. 33’ W. At this time we got a breeze at east, with which we stood to the south, with a view of gaining the coast we had left; but at eight o’clock the wind shifted to the south, and made it necessary to tack and stand to the east; in which course we met with several ice-islands and some loose ice; the weather continuing hazy with snow and rain.

No penguins were seen on the 5th, which made me conjecture that we were leaving the land behind us, and that we had already seen its northern extremity.  At noon we were in the latitude of 57 deg. 8’ S., longitude 23 deg. 34’ west, which was 3 deg. of longitude to the east of Saunders’s Isle.  In the afternoon the wind shifted to the west; this enabled us to stretch to the south, and to get into the latitude of the land, that, if it took an east direction, we might again fall in with it.

We continued to steer to the south and S.E. till next day at noon, at which time we were in the latitude of 58 deg. 15’ S., longitude 21 deg. 34’ west, and seeing neither land nor signs of any, I concluded that what we had seen, which I named Sandwich Land, was either a group of islands, or else a point of the continent.  For I firmly believe that there is a tract of land near the Pole which is the source of most of the ice that is spread over this vast southern ocean.  I also think it probable that it extends farthest to the north opposite the southern Atlantic and Indian oceans; because ice was always found by us farther to the north in these oceans than any where else, which I judge could not be, if there were not land to the south; I mean a land of considerable extent.  For if we suppose that no such land exists, and that ice may be formed without it, it will follow of course that the cold ought to be every where nearly equal round the Pole, as far as 70 deg. or 60’ of latitude, or so far as to be beyond the influence of any of the known continents; consequently we ought to see ice every where under the same parallel, or near it; and yet the contrary has been, found.  Very few ships have met with ice going round Cape Horn:  And we saw but little below the sixtieth degree of latitude, in the Southern Pacific Ocean.  Whereas in this ocean, between the meridian of 40 deg. west and 50 deg. or 60 deg. east, we found ice as far north as 51 deg..  Bouvet met with, some in 48 deg., and others have seen it in a much lower latitude.  It is true, however, that the greatest part of this southern continent (supposing there is one), must lie within the polar circle, where the sea is so pestered with ice, that the land is thereby inaccessible.  The risque one runs in exploring a coast, in these unknown and icy seas, is so very great, that I can be bold enough to say that no man will ever venture farther than I have done; and that the lands which